An unbeaten third-wicket partnership of 92 between Gordon Muchall and England one-day international Paul Collingwood revived Durham after a shaky start in their tour match against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street.

Muchall (45*) and Collingwood (46*) came together at 17 for two in the fifth over, and took the score to 109 before rain triggered an early lunch.

Chaminda Vaas was the tourists' bowling star, with both wickets, but Sri Lanka looked ill at ease in the cold, overcast conditions of the curtailed opening session.

Vaas dismissed the Durham skipper Jon Lewis for nine, playing no stroke to a ball that moved back off the seam to clip his off stump. Vaas, a certainty to be in the tourists side for the first Test against England beginning on May 16, then snared Pratt for four in the same over, wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara taking a comfortable catch to leave the hosts in trouble.

Newcastle-born Muchall, batting at number three, struggled early on but then began to look more assured. He drove Ishara Amerasinghe for four through extra cover in his first over as the third-wicket partnership passed 50.

Amerasinghe and Ruchira Perera struggled to maintain Vaas and Nuwan Zoysa's venom and accuracy, and a delightful straight drive by Collingwood off Perera took the total to 81 for two.

Spin was introduced in the 25th over in the form of Thilan Samaraweera, but Muchall immediately flicked him through midwicket for another boundary. Rain then forced the players off at 12.50pm, and it looked far from certain that there would be much play for the remainder of the day.

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